The morning of the wedding arrived. Rukia was woken bright and early. There was all sorts of noise going on outside to set up for the event. The cooks were already in the kitchen preparing the meal for the reception and servants and workers covered the grounds like ants moving things everywhere. Yumichika could be heard yelling orders in the distance.

"I'll not have you ruin my wedding. Move that over there. Put those two inches to the right…no the other right…what the heck I ordered those table cloths a shade lighter then that…cant you put that together any faster…"Yumichika yelled.

"Morning Rukia, I'm so excited."

"Here put this cold compress on. I had a feeling you were going to need it." Miyu said.

"Thanks, is ni-sama, I mean Byakuya sama up yet?" Rukia asked.

"Yes but you cant see him before the wedding."

"Yeah its bad luck Kuchiki-san." Inoue added.

The servants brought in breakfast trays for the women. They sat and chatted for a while. Rukia was really nervous, the day had finally come. But something sat wrong in her stomach. She just knew something was going to go wrong.

"I'm so glad your marrying Kuchiki-sama. Now I can have Ichigo all to myself." Inoue said

" I think you two would be cute together. I feel sick." Rukia said.

"I had butterflies in my stomach too on my wedding day, that was ages ago.' Miyu said.

"Why didn't you remarry?" Rukia asked.

"We were promised at birth. We were always together. Childhood friends, I could never see myself with anyone else. You take good care of Byakuya he is a good man who needs a strong woman." Miyu said

Rukia' thoughts went to Renji as she stared out of the window. She still hadn't heard from him and she wished more then anything that he would be there with her on her wedding day. She wanted to ask him to give her away, knowing it would bother him she decided not to. If it would hurt him too much to see her marry another, she was ok with him staying away. Maybe after the wedding, and some time has passed they could still be friends. She wondered if Ichigo had spoken with him, and if he was alright. It wouldn't be right if she went to him, to apologize again, not on her wedding day. He surely hates her for doing this to him.

It was going to be a lovely day. It was sunny and the cherry blossom trees were right on time .They lifted a sweet fragrance through the air that reminded Rukia of the man she would be married to in a few hours. When she closed her eyes she could remember their last kiss. Rukia was more then ready to get this whole thing over with. A box had come for her. She read the card and it was from Byakuya.

"Dearest I am in great anticipation of our marriage. Something to wish you good luck."

Rukia opened the box to reveal a cuff bracelet with a strange configuration of black stones. It wasn't anything she would normally wear but the girls all figured she should wear the gift. She put it on and everything around her went black. A voice called her name from the darkness. A large hollow showed itself in a bright light. She went for her sword but it was not there.

"Blue fire crash down." She held out her hand and yelled but nothing came out.

"Shinigami you will be here for a while, enjoy the solitude."

The hollow entered her and the light went out again leaving her alone in the darkness. She felt around and found the space to be limited. As her eyes adjusted she could make out a person on the other side of the multi sided walls. It was definitely Orihime but she was very large and it looked as though she was seeing her through a kaleidoscope. She tried to yell but no one heard her.

"Oh Rukia we were so worried, you feinted." Orihime said.

"It's normal. These things are always overwhelming." Miyu said

"Rukia are you alright your eyes look funny?" Orihime said.

"We are just fine, you are such a delicious looking human." Hollow Rukia said.

"R…Rukia?" Orihime said.

Rukia' right arm changed into that of an orange octopus and grabbed for the Orihime who used her hairclips to block.

A maid had managed to get out of the room and alert for help. The noise brought Ichigo first who blocked hollow Rukia' attacks and getting everyone to safety. Byakuya had come into the room in one movement and put Rukia in a binding spell.

"Where is Abarai?!" Byakuya was furious.

"What the hell happened?" Renji came running in.

"Where were you, I told you to guard her." Byakuya had Renji by the collar.

"You sent me orders to man the other side of the house, you said Ichigo would take over. I knew I shouldn't have left her." he punched the wall causing a large hole.

"Who told you? Answer me!"

"The hell butterfly."

"Hey anyone seen Chad or Uryu?"

"Sir!..oh my goodness what happened to Rukia-san? The two male guests I cant wake them up." a maid said.

"Miyu tell what happened! Now!" Byakuya yelled.

"Well she just feinted and when she came to she was a hollow and attacked Orihime."

"Before that did anything strange happen?"

"No she had just unwrapped the present you sent for her." she pointed to the bracelet.

"I did not send her a gift. Fetch captain…"

"My my my I noticed a strange change in riatsu." Kurotsuchi came into the room.

"Nemu is that what I believe it to be?"

"Yes sir."

"I see does this concern us?"

"No sir we have other experiments that need our attention."

"Damn it remove whatever that thing is." Renji yelled getting worked up.

"Kurotsuchi you will remove that thing from Rukia' wrist." Byakuya was dead serious.

"Oh now since you asked so nicely. It may take a while. I wonder how it came into her possession in the first place?"

"I have an idea." Ichigo said.

"There is a chance that it may kill her if we are too rough. But no worries we can always clone another. Nemu hand me the scanner. I do love how they struggle. Let me keep this female here we might need her healing powers. It would be easier if we had the release mechanism, I don't suppose any of you have it?"

"Riku, he has it!" Ichigo said.

Rukia struggled in her restraints. The hollow made all kinds of threats demanding to be let go. Byakuya was looking distressed. The threat of loosing Rukia was too much, he couldn't go through that again.

"There's nothing you can do for her. You must get a hold of yourself. Who did this to her?" Miyu asked.

"Byakuya Renji and I will get him for what he did to Rukia, you should stay with her. He wouldn't dare make another attempt with two captains in the room." Ichigo said.

"Taicho…Taicho?" Renji tried to get Byakuya' attention but he was zoning out.

"Byakuya!" Ichigo yelled.

"I will go with you."

"But Taicho?" Renji said.

"He will regret his actions. Remember my orders."

"Where are you going?"

Byakuya moved quickly around seritei to locate his cousin who seemed to be hiding his riatsu at the moment. Meanwhile Renji and Ichigo found Riku' me.

"Where is you master?" Renji demanded.

"He's not here."

"Where the hell is he." he demanded again.

The man looked at his watch. "I told you I don't know but your not going to find him without fighting us first."

Renji and Ichigo began battling the large group of men and had no trouble taking them all down.

"It's too late you'll never reach them in time. Who will believe you over a Kuchiki? Riku will be the family head as soon as he kills Byakuya."


"Riku!" Byakuya entered the large storage room with his normal look.

"Dear cousin did you come for this?" he held up a small rectangular object.

"Hand it over now."

"Or what you will kill me?"

"You will die by my blade either way."

"Always so persuasive with your threats. I knew you would come to try and save that

Inuzuri trash. Your so predictable."

"You have insulted my pride for the last time, Chire!"

"So predictable cousin. Don't you know a trap when you see one?" He dodged the first movement of the blades and pulled out an item that froze them in place then they fell to the ground no longer listening to commands.

"You are mistaken if you think I need my sword to cut you down." Byakuya' expression never changed. That bored, unfazed look etched into him.

"But I have had so much fun raiding the research and development building. You see this? It puts me on equal terms of a captain. So hurry up and die."

Riku attacked with his sword and Byakuya blocked with a kido spell.

"You may have become stronger but you are lacking in skill." Byakuya said.

"Oh you are talented lets see how you fare against twenty captain level men without your sword. Oh and if you use your kido I will destroy the item you came for." he stood there holding the item high in the air preparing to let it go so it would drop to the ground and shatter.

Byakuya was attacked by twenty men, who as of the last few moments, had become captain level Shinigami.. He dodged right then left then right again. He still had his Shunpo and managed to take down two of the slowest men. Kido spells were flying at him in every direction. Things were not looking very good at the moment and Renji and Ichigo were nowhere in sight.

"Ah dear cousin, did you think I would have let that boy hear my real plan? Do you take me for a fool Byakuya? I knew what you would have those two friends of yours do. What is the almighty head of the Kuchiki clan too busy for polite conversation?"

"You are mistaken Kurosaki and Abarai are right where I wanted them to be. I was more then aware of your plan."

"You wanted them away from you, I doubt your intentions cousin, if you knew my plan from the start why would you send your two strongest Shinigami away and walk right into my trap?" Riku was confused.

"I assure you I do not walk into traps."

"Hey Hey Kuchiki is this where the party is? Looks like we might have us some fun."

Kenpachi came in full force cutting down five men and making the others scatter.

Byakuya shot a kid spell at the item locking his Zanpakuto and grabbed his sword. Riku stepped back in horror of what was occurring.

"I thought you would be able to handle these weaklings?" Kenpachi began to throw him some good natured insults.

"I did not want to soil my blade on such brutish creatures." Byakuya told him.

"I will take care of these. Hey come out come out where ever you are. Lets see who can stay alive the longest."

Riku and Byakuya began battling. Riku was quick but not quick enough.

"Byakuya be reasonable it was all in fun, I didn't mean anything by it, here take this, spare me please." Riku began to plead.

"You sealed your faith when you threatened my pride." with one pass he slashed through Riku, his sword seemingly undrawn to the untrained eye.

"Looks like were late." Renji said.

"Whets he doing here!?" Ichigo said.

"Kurosaki did you come to give me a decent fight? Where did he go?" Kenpachi said.

Ichigo bolted out of the door and a trail of dust followed behind a orange and black dot that kept getting smaller in the distance.

"Taicho did you get it?" Renji said.

"Let us return to the manor." Byakuya commented.

"Yeah We better hurry up and get you married, I wouldn't want Rukia to kick your ass." Kenpachi said.


Back at the mansion the Rukia hollow was still struggling in the restraints while being poked by all types of strange gadgets while the real Rukia could do no more then watch from the stone she was trapped in.

"Sir the two males in the other room have woken. It seems they were only drugged." Nemu said.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime yelled excited.

" Byakuya is coming with the…wooah" Ichigo said as Byakuya blew by him.

"Yes that is the device we need. Nemu proceed."

"Yes sir." she connected the device to the bracelet and pressed a button.

The hollow began to drain from Rukia' body and Rukia was pulled back into her own body. She gasped for air and it took her a moment to orient herself. Byakuya was at her side and she grabbed on to him and they hugged for a moment. Byakuya couldn't be more relived then he was at that moment.

"Will someone tell me what just happened?" she finally asked.

Ichigo was the one to explain most of what had happened and Renji filled in more of what they had seen.

"Riku is no longer a threat." Byakuya said only those words about the situation.

"Rukia are you feeling up to going through with the marriage today?" Orihime said

"I don't want to take anymore chances lets just do it. Renji…I."

"Hey were friends right, and if your ever unhappy with him you know where to find me." He hugged her tightly.